Malcolm Lewis

I'm an entrepreneur focused on new businesses enabled by the Web. I have a strong track record of identifying new markets and subsequently establishing my companies as leaders in these new markets. My last three ventures have resulted in two acquisitions by public companies and one of the most successful IPOs of all time.

I'm currently exploring opportunities in the social search space in general, and "trusted recommendations" in particular. The evolution of the Web, from a publishing medium to a conversational medium, is creating exciting new ways for people to share and discover information about the things, people and places they care about.

Previously, I was SVP and General Manager, Private Label Local Search, for Local.com Corp. Prior to Local.com, I was founder and CEO of PremierGuide, a company I sold to Local.com after building it from scratch into the leading provider of private-label local search solutions to local media companies. Following the acquisition, I ran PremierGuide as a separate P&L within Local.com, growing revenues ten-fold over two years. With PremierGuide, I pioneered the private-label local search market segment in 2003, and quickly established PremierGuide as the runaway leader in this new space.

Prior to PremierGuide, I was Vice President of Marketing for Vayusphere, a corporate instant messaging startup, and a strategic marketing consultant for Silicon Valley venture capital firms.

Previously, I was Vice President of Industry Communications for Vitria Technology, where I helped grow the company from an early-stage startup, with 30 employees and a single customer, to a public company with 1,100 employees and annual sales of $150 million. I led Vitria's creation of the business process management (BPM) segment within the enterprise application integration (EAI) market, and successfully positioned Vitria as the leading player in this new segment. I also played a central role in the company's hugely successful IPO, which generated one of the highest venture returns of all time.

Prior to Vitria, I was Director of Marketing for Interweave Software, a Web-based business intelligence software startup. Interweave was acquired by Cognos Corp in 1997. Prior to Interweave, I held product marketing and development positions at Oracle Corp and Nestle Rowntree (UK).

I hold a masters degree in Computer Science, with a specialization in artifical intelligence and expert systems, from Sheffield Hallam University in England. I also hold a bachelors degree in Sport Science from Liverpool John Moores University in England.